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“Well, that, too.” I winked. “But no. I thought back to when you vomited that morning at the hotel in Boston.”
“Yup.” She nodded. “It all makes sense now, doesn’t it?”
“It does.” I sighed, rubbing my palms together. “So…Billie called me today.”
Devyn crossed her arms. “Oh.”
“I’m surprised you told her, but I’m glad you did.”
She shrugged. “I hadn’t planned to. She caught me in the middle of a breakdown, and it all came barreling out. Billie makes it easy to open up.”
“She emphasized that she’s not going to say anything until you give her the okay.”
“Yeah, she mentioned that to me, too. I appreciate it. The less people that know right now the better,” she said.
“I agree. And I won’t say anything either, obviously, until you feel comfortable. It’s no one’s business but ours.”
“Thank you.” Devyn nodded. “I haven’t said anything to Heath and Hannah, and I would hate for them to accidentally find out from anyone other than me. Right now, the only person who knows besides Billie is Mia.” She hesitated. “Well, and Robert…”
My stomach sank. “You told him.”
“Yeah, I had to.”
“Of course.” I exhaled, trying my best to remain neutral. “How did he react?”
“It started out pretty positive, until I had to tell him it might not be his.” Her face turned pink. “Then he kind of shamed me for having slept with you so soon after he and I were last together. He seems to forget that we were never in an exclusive relationship and that he’s the furthest thing from monogamous and has been with multiple people himself.”
I fucking hated this guy. My jaw stiffened. “Double standards, anyone?”
“I really wish he had nothing to do with this situation.” She shook her head. “I thought I did everything right, Owen. I always made sure he used protection as a backup to my IUD. And you know you and I used protection. The fact that I’m pregnant truly blows my mind.”
“Nothing is foolproof, I guess. Sometimes, for reasons unbeknownst to us, fate has other plans. This was clearly meant to be.” I looked down at her belly again. “This little one beat the odds.”
She rubbed her stomach. “Whether I wanted this in my life right now or not, I think you’re right. Itwasmeant to be. I hope someday I can see that.” She tilted her head to examine my face. “How areyou? I left you in kind of a tizzy the other night.”
I reached out to cup her cheek. “I’m okay, Devyn. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, as you might expect—probably more thinking in a twenty-four-hour period than ever before in my life.”
“Did you come to any conclusions?”
“Yeah, one.” I smiled.
“What?”
“I’m still crazy about you.” I caressed her skin with my thumb. “None of this changes that.”
She closed her eyes briefly, seeming to relish my touch. “How is that even possible?”
“How is thatnotpossible? You’re still you—just with a little human growing inside you now.”
“But it might not be yours…” she whispered.
Her words cut like a knife, a stark reminder that I needed to tread lightly, even if my emotions were getting the best of me. The cold reality of this situation meant I couldn’t let my heart hijack my head.
“I’m not gonna lie, Devyn. I’m scared as fuck—of each scenario. If I’m about to be a father, I have a hell of a lot to learn and prepare for. And if the baby’s not mine, I have to deal with the risk that Robert could complicate things between us. So, yeah, I’m terrified. But not in a way that makes me feel differently about you.” I reached for her hand. “The only reason I’m scared is becauseso muchis at stake.”
She squeezed my hand and looked into my eyes. “I want it to be yours, Owen. Very badly.”
Me, too.“I think the biggest challenge for me is trying to stop myself from falling in love with the idea of this baby being my kid. Every time I start envisioning him or her—my baby—with your beautiful eyes, I have to stop myself from going there.”I can’t breathe.
